1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to agricultural vehicles, and, more particularly, to self-propelled windrowers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Self-propelled windrowers are utilized by farmers to cut crop material as the windrower advances across a field and arrange the cut crop material into windrows, which are deposited onto the field behind the windrower to dry. Typical windrowers have a header at the front which will cut the crop material and are driven by a pair of primary wheels linked to a power source, such as an internal combustion engine, and a pair of caster wheels at the rear of the windrower. Some windrowers are further equipped with a roller near the rear of the windrower which is referred to as a swath roller. The swath roller trails the header and serves to roll the crop material as the windrower advances, making the windrowed crop material less susceptible to being affected by wind.
Many windrowers are equipped with actuators, such as hydraulic cylinders, to raise and lower the header and the swath roller. The actuators are typically controlled by separate switches utilized by the operator, so the header and swath roller are raised and lowered separately. This allows the operator to raise the header at the end of a cut, while keeping the swath roller down to roll the cut crop material until the end of the cut is reached, at which point the operator can raise the swath roller. Once the operator wishes to return to cutting, the operator must then separately lower the header and the swath roller.
One problem with such systems is that the steps of separately raising and lowering the header and swath roller require the operator to remember to raise and lower both the header and swath roller. If the operator forgets to raise the swath roller after cutting and before a turn operation, for example, the roller can be damaged as the windrower turns. If the operator forgets to lower the swath roller after cutting resumes, some of the cut crop material will be un-rolled and more susceptible to being blown away by wind. Further, because the swath roller trails the header and the operator is typically sitting at the front of the windrower, it is difficult for the operator to reliably determine when the swath roller has reached the end of the cut crop material. The operator can either choose to raise the swath roller early, resulting in un-rolled crop material, or drive the windrower with the swath roller down for an unnecessarily long distance, which wastes fuel and time.
What is needed in the art is a windrower that can overcome some of the previously described disadvantages of known windrowers.